Can’t escape the past? Is your Logitech keyboard full of shattered pieces of skittles and broken dreams? Looks like a retro style USB Typewriter keyboard is just what you’re looking for. Type away by slamming down on the ancient keys and if your mom asks what you’re doing, simply say: “I’m writing the next great American novel.” (i.e. playing Skyrim). Works with all PC, Mac and Linux machines and tons of tablets – Check out more pictures and video after the break…
Rumors have Apple releasing a 15in MacBook Pro “Air” sometime next month, with Intel’s newest i5 and i7 “Ivy Bridge” chipset. The new MacBook Pro will be lighter and thinner than the current generation but not as slim as Apple’s current “Air” line. Yet, like the air, The new MBP’s will not have a optical (thank god) drive or ethernet port, with the latter being kind of an issue (personally speaking). The MBPs are not alone in needing an upgrade – both the iMacs and MacPros are in desperate need of an upgrade.
Source: AppleInsider
Right on the heels of Microsoft releasing a “consumer preview” of Windows 8 (Feb 29th) and a much rumored iPad 3/HD event during the first week of March, this morning Apple dropped a bombshell – previewing Mac OS X Mountain Lion (10.8). Up until now, there wasn’t a whole lot of chatter about the next big cat update, since rumors of new iMacs, MacPros, Macbook Pros and iPads had drowned out what little noise Mountain Lion brought. Regardless, unlike the move from Leopard to Snow Leopard, Mountain Lion is a very significant release – furthering even more the marriage between Mac OS and iOS - scheduled for Summer 2012 as a paid upgrade.
If you don’t know about VLC – learn right now! (click here) If you’re lazy, all you have to know is that it’s a free video player (Mac,PC,Linux) and it plays almost any video format known to man – it’s one of the first must have apps for any computer owner. Now that we have taken care of that, the open source VideoLAN organization has released RC1 of VLC 2.0 – adding naive fullscreen Lion support, newly designed subtitle manager, additional RAR archive playback, advanced output modes, Blue-Ray support for Mac and a 64-bit Windows version. While you can go and download the RC-1 version (here) keep in mind that it’s still buggy and you could see CPU/Memory issues but the re-designed interface and added features were much needed. The VideoLAN foundation has also released a video showing developer contribution to the VLC open source project.
Source: 9To5Mac
Once again, Apple has smashed analyst predictions and has released Q1 2012 revenue of $46.33 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.06 billion. What does that mean? Apple is still essentially printing mountains of money and their cash/short term/long term assets amount to almost $100 billion. Here is the break down:
So where did all that cash come from, well Apple and its massive retail presence was super busy over the holiday quarter, selling: 37.04 million iPhones in the quarter – 128 percent unit growth Yr/Yr, 15.43 million iPads during the quarter – 111 percent unit increase Yr/Yr, 5.2 million Macs during the quarter – 26 percent unit increase Yr/Yr and 15.4 million iPods – 21 percent unit decline Yr/Yr. Tim Cook, Apple’s C.E.O. had this to say at the earnings call:
…We’re thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs. Apple’s momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline…
Not surprisingly, Apple iPhone 4S is the big story here – generating 53% of the quarters revenue. Weirdly, the 4S was widely written off, both by the press and tech journalists but it seems the public had no issue with its non-upgraded exterior look. Additionally, 58% of revenue is now taken in by international sales, China quickly becoming Apple’s new cash cow.
Besides hardware, Apple also generated cash from its services, like the iTunes store, App Store, retail stores and iCloud services, here is some interesting numbers for those revenue streams: 85 million iCloud users - 140 million App Store downloads on Christmas Day alone - 110 million visitors to Apple Stores. If you want more technical details about Apple’s Q1 2012 results – here is a recording of their live stream – Click here. So, where do we go from here and what does Q2 2012 look like?
We are very happy to have generated over $17.5 billion in cash flow from operations during the December quarter,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “Looking ahead to the second fiscal quarter of 2012, which will span 13 weeks, we expect revenue of about $32.5 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $8.50…
Source: Apple – Source: MacRumors – Source: New York Times
Apple’s NYC educational event just finished and while there was no new hardware in sight, the event was actually surprisingly interesting. When I had heard that Apple was going to re-invent the textbook, I didn’t exactly jump out of my seat but what I saw today, kind of made me wish I was back in high school. The event revolved around two main points: The release of iBooks 2 & iBooks Author – both available today.
iBooks 2: “…is an amazing way to download and read books. iBooks includes the iBookstore, where you can download the latest bestselling books or your favorite classics – day or night. Browse your library on a beautiful bookshelf, tap a book to open it, flip through pages with a swipe or a tap, and bookmark or add notes to your favorite passages….” Check it out….
• Experience gorgeous Multi-Touch textbooks designed for iPad
• iBooks textbooks are filled with interactive features, diagrams, photos, and videos
• Tap to dive into images with interactive captions, rotate 3D objects, swipe through image galleries, watch videos in full screen, and more
• Use a finger as a highlighter when swiping over text in a textbook
• Take advantage of Study Cards to help you memorize important highlights, notes, and glossary terms
• Tap glossary terms to see definitions of key topics and concepts without leaving the page
The iBookstore offers textbooks on Algebra, Biology, Chemistry, Geometry, and Physics from McGraw-Hill and Pearson. These textbooks are currently available to customers in the United States. Textbooks from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are coming soon.
iBooks Author: ”…Now anyone can create stunning iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books, and more for iPad. All you need is an idea and a Mac. Start with one of the Apple-designed templates that feature a wide variety of page layouts. Add your own text and images with drag-and-drop ease. Use Multi-Touch widgets to include interactive photo galleries, movies, Keynote presentations, 3D objects, and more. Preview your book on your iPad at any time. Then submit your finished work to the iBookstore with a few simple steps. And before you know it, you’re a published author….” Check it out….
So what does this mean for us? Essentially, iBooks 2 takes advantage of Apple interactive iBooks Author framework, allowing classic textbooks to be converted to amazing iPad based interactive books. Educational curriculums and teaching styles can be built around these new interactive books but the real question is: Will school districts adopt Apple’s new tools? Apple already gives educational discounts to schools, teachers and students but what will Apple have to do to get mass adoption?
How effective will Apple’s inroads into the educational system and how well iBooks 2 + iBooks Author will be depends on how well publishing houses get on track with converting/creating these interactive textbooks. It isn’t enough to have schools adopt iPads and it isn’t enough for publishing houses to create amazing textbooks that no one will use – there has to be inroads from both parties. Here is a walkthrough from Engadget:
Source: Apple
Skype for mac 5.4 beta has been released today, bring with it minor UI tweaks, a few bug fixes and some small new features such as answering calls with the option of video or just audio. The 5.4 Beta also brings Facebook integration, so you can call and send messages directly to your Facebook contacts – not bad. Now let’s hope that it’s not as bug filled as so many previous versions of skype…Want in, click here.
Source: Skype
If you’ve never herd of Skitch but work with web graphics, especially sharing screenshots within your workgroup or business, you need to get Skitch. Up until now, Skitch was just an OS X app but recently it was bought by Evernote (Another Great App) and made free! So what does Skitch do: It easily allows you to edit, alter and share you screenshots with anyone – now available for the iPad and Android. Check out this video for more info:
I find myself using the desktop version of this all all day, whether it’s for this blog or for web design, it’s an extremely versatile app…..and it’s free.
Source: 9To5Mac
Less than a week after Nokia’s first round of patent complaints against Apple were turned down by the U.S. International Trade Commission, Nokia has fired back with a second round of complaints, this time essentially targeting all of Apple’s products. From iPhones, Ipads, Ipods all the way to actual Macs – Nokia is taking aim at everything and all!
Specifics for the second round are as follows: Nokia is stating that Apple has infringed on Bluetooth, hand set voice quality, geo positioning, syncing of data and of course multitasking patents – of which have come from countless years of R&D – specifically $43 Billion worth! Oh Nokia, if that 43 billion number is right, I feel really bad for you. You should have spend more cash on design and marketing – you wouldn’t be in the situation you’re in now – Microsoft’s play toy.
So, how does this end? Like most patent lawsuits and complaints - either nothing will happen, there will be some kind of out of court settlement or licensing agrement but you can bet that Apple will buy Nokia before it gives in to licensing.
Source: AppleInsider.com
Well, it was rumored and here we are – Apple completely refreshed their MacBook Pro line. The exterior looks about the same except for a small lightning icon next to the minidisplay port (Image Below) other than that, all the goodness is inside…..let’s take a look.
The Big Three: Intel’s Sandy Bridge chipset sits nicely inside all models (13-17in) with the 15in and 17in getting quad core options. Nvidea is out and ATI has joined the party with the 15in getting either the Radeon HD 6490M with 256MB GDDR5 or HD 6750M with 1GB GDDR5 and the 17in getting HD 6750M with 1GB GDDR5. The 13in gets left out in the cold, using only Intel’s HD Graphics 3000 integrated graphics. Maybe the biggest news or the most mysterious, is the addition of “Thunder Bolt” or Intel’s “Light Peak” technology – “….Thunderbolt technology has arrived — and MacBook Pro is the first notebook to have it. Now one connection carries both DisplayPort and PCI Express. With two 10-Gbps data channels, you can transfer data more than 12 times faster than with FireWire 800…”
More news is still pouring in and Intel is scheduled to have a special event today (Feb. 24th) in San Francisco at 10am (PST). So, we should know more about “Light peak” or “Thunder Bolt” or “Ball Lightning” – check back soon. Otherwise, click here and have Steve and company tell you about the redesign.
Source: Apple.com
“Corporate Meeting!” Yea right Apple! 9to5 Mac via Applebitch.com has pointed out that the Moscone Center has just updated its events scheduale and would you look at what is booked for the 5th of June to the 9th – apparently one long “Corporate Meeting.”
Apple usually holds its WWDC event during the beginning of June, so this woud fall into the yearly time frame. WWDC deals with all tings Apple Mobile – so “possibly” a new iPhone and changes to itunes, the App Store and anything dealing with the cloud – Apple, we’re still waiting for that North Carolina data center to go live. Anyway, book your hotel rooms and flights – it’s going to be packed. NEXT!!
Source: 9to5 Mac via Applebitch.com
Found some RAM lying around the house today and was in an “Upgrade” mood. Glanced over at my Mac Mini and decided that it might need some extra juice – which never hurts. In classic Apple fashion, upgrading any piece of hardware is ridiculously tough but with the help of our friends over at ifixit.com – nothing is impossible! Overall, the RAM upgrade took about 20 minutes, with the hardest part being the removal of the exterior aluminum casing. One note, when removing the motherboard, be sure to take care of any wires attached with electrical tape to the housing. System Profiler has just told me that I’m working with 4 gigs now – Yea!! NEXT!!
Source: ifixit.com
Strategic is an understatement! As everyone knows by now, on monday (MLK Day – Stock Market was closed) Steve Job’s announced that he will be taking a medical leave from Apple (Remains C.E.O.) for an undisclosed amount of time – tuesday, after the closing bell, Apple releases their best quarterly results ever. This was classic Apple smoke and mirrors and actually for the regular stock holder, a dream come true because the overall health of the stock price stayed the same. Click here to see the quarterly results or see the breakdown below:
1) $6 Billion in Profit on $26.7 Billion in Revenue
2) Iphone 4 sales: 16.4 Million Sold – Up 86%
3) Mac Sales: 4.13 Million Units Sold – Up 23%
4) IPod Sales: 19.4 Million Units Sold – Down 7%
5) IPad Sales: 7.33 Million Units Sold
One specific note of interest is the IPad sales numbers – essentially 3 million more units that regular Mac sales – sneak peak into the future folks. NEXT!!